Maggie decided to let her anger get the best of her, so both Jack and I were surprised when I got the text from Missy saying I wasn't needed for my evening shift tonight. I simply shrugged, tossed my phone onto the end of the couch and hit "play the next episode" of Married at First Sight. Jack and I were fine with being couch potatoes and I didn't have the energy for the drama today. We had been laying on opposite ends of his long navy sectional with our legs intertwined under a knit blanket since we finished my video three hours ago.
I prop myself up onto my elbow as I reach for my iced coffee that we had delivered and Jack looks relaxed with his head on a throw pillow. I would have never paid the insane surcharges and delivery fees for two iced coffees, but I am learning Jack's favorite app is Postmates. He also didn't give me any slack for wanting to watch trashy reality TV and he seemed invested as I let the show play on.
I bring my plastic Starbucks cup up to my lips as Jack lowers the volume to say, "Maggie acts all tough but is actually a chicken shit. She didn't reach out to me and had her little sister reach out to you."
"Missy ain't little," I mutter as I use the green straw to scrape the gooey caramel off the inside of my cup.
"You know what I mean. She's all talk. Don't act all tough if you're actually a non-confrontational chicken shit."
"I hate confrontation, so I am actually fine with it," I tell him and he watches me lick the stickiness off the straw.
"You're going to have so much anxiety about this Luce. I already know you. You're going to wonder if you still have a job. If Maggie hates you, if Missy hates you, if the Mag's crew hates you. You're only going to be able to think about Maggie and Mag's until you know if you still have a job." I flick my eyes to him and leave the straw on my lip as I reply, "I only have room in my brain for my mother and my sister right now. I can't think of anything else until we leave Tucson."
"Are you that anxious to introduce me to your family?" Jack asks with a smirk as he slides his hand behind his head to prop him up.
"Yes. My family is not like your family. We don't do loving and caring."
"Your mom has a neurosurgeon and a Julliard trained ballerina for daughters. I'm guessing you didn't become those things with cuddles and coddling."
"Your mother has an architect, lawyer and...wait what does Bre do again?"
"Fuck if I know. Something with clothes."
"Oh yeah, she's a styleist, right? She does the window displays or something?"
"Like I said, fuck if I know."
"Alight well anyway, my point is, your mom has kids with fantastic careers even with all the love and coddling."
"I wasn't coddled."
"You pays for this house?" I ask him as I gesture around the fantastically decorated living room that he didn't pay a cent for. He gives me a loving eye roll and then drops his head back onto the pillow.
"Fine, I was a bit coddled."
"You are a lot coddled. Your mom pays for a house cleaner even though you live alone and you only had a job because she wouldn't buy you a boat."
"I did have to buy my own Jeep and jetski."
"You use your dad's company gas card."
"I'll fill up your tank with it too," he says with a wink and I just shake my head at him. He has no idea what he is in for with my parents.
"I'm fine with the perks of dating a Dalton. I'll get to make my cookie cutters at his expense." I watch his eyebrows pinch together and he suddenly reaches behind him to swipe his phone off the side table.
"Shit, I forgot I told my dad we were coming into the office today. He was going to buy us lunch."
"You did? What time did you say, it's already one." I toss the blanket off of us and wonder if I need to go throw decent clothes on. He pulls the phone up to his ear and I wait while he calls his dad. They have a quick exchange and it sounds like Mr. Dalton is down for us to come in and that he'll have lunch waiting for us. Jack pushes himself off the low couch as he confirms the time and he finds my eyes and then gives me a thumbs up. I saunter back to my room and wonder if I have any clothes clean that don't scream slutty bartender.
******
I have met Jack's parents on several occasions as they had no problem visiting their son at the divey sports bar while he was working. My mother would not be caught dead at a place with torn vinyl barstools, half-naked bartenders, and corn dogs or french fries as the only good food options. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't walk her Manolo's across that sticky vinyl flooring either. The Dalton's were always so polite to me when they would drop in and they'd love razzing their youngest son when they'd chat with him across the bar.
I have never been to Jack's parent's offices though, and am not all that surprised they have one of the most eye-catching offices in downtown Phoenix. The outside of the building is all sleek modern glass, but they've turned the floor their suite is on into something vibrant that screams eco-friendly. Dalton Designs and Architecture is on the third floor so the sunshine splashes in through the glass walls, unobstructed by the lower surrounding buildings. A floor-to-ceiling plant wall divides the architecture and interior design spaces and a tall wooden desk is the first thing that greets us as we enter the space. Every piece of furniture looks modern and unique and his father once told me they only use upcycled pieces to furnish the space.
Jack waves to the receptionist, Macy, an older black woman with a warm smile. Her hair is tied up in a colorful silk scarf and her funky wooden jewelry matches the vibes of the office.
"Hi Macy," Jack says as he leans an elbow on top of her desk.
"Jack, always good to see ya. Who is your friend." She asks as I wave to her and I stick my hand out to meet hers.
"This is my beautiful girlfriend, Lucy," he says and I smile at the introduction. Macy's eyes widen as her smile deepens and she quickly says, "Girlfriend? Wow, Lucky man." I know I am blushing and thankfully, neither of them make a joke about it.
"Has she met your daddy yet?"
He nods, "Oh yes, she used to work with me at the bar." Macy's eyes widen again in understanding but I do not want her to think that I am just a bartender.
"I used to bartend, but I bake now. Which is why we are here," I tell her, wondering why I felt ashamed of just slinging drinks.
"Ah yes, you're here to use the printer. It's behind your mama's office, but I think Mr. Dalton has lunch coming in for ya."
We both nod and she points across the room to where Mr. Dalton is seated behind a wall of glass. I don't think I would like to feel so exposed all day. The plant wall is the only wall in the office that isn't see-through. There are six other employees seated or walking around the office, but more employees must work here as it looks like there is a small cluster of desks on the far side of the office. All with sleek computers and massive drawing tables next to them.
"Thanks, Mace," Jack says as he pulls me away from the reception area. I wave to the welcoming woman and she smiles softly as I'm tugged forward. Jack's dad is staring at his computer screen when we make our way into his office and Jack's voice has him shifting his focus to the door.
"Dad, hi. Sorry we are late." Mr. Dalton stands and I know where Jack gets his height and broad shoulders from. As he shuffles around his desk he throws his arms out and says, "It's fine. It's fine. You missed your mom though. She just left to go meet her Scottsdale client." Jack's mother Trish, put the "designs" in Dalton Designs and Architecture and it's how his parents met. She was the interior designer for an office building he was hired to build out.
"Dad you remember Lucy," Jack says and Mr. Dalton strides right past Jack to pull me into a quick hug.
"Of course I remember Lucy, how are you?" He asks me and I give him a nervous smile as I answer, "Good. I'm good. So happy that you let me come in here today."
He stands back and drops his hands on his hips, just like Jack does, and says, "Paid enough for the damn thing. Glad it's getting used." He then looks back to Jack and says, "I ordered in Hugo's. Hope salads and whatever else your mom ordered works."
"Of course, thank you so much," I tell him eagerly as Jack says, "I don't know why she loves Hugo's. It's fine but there are so many other better salad joints."
"I think we have popcorn and kale chips in the break room if you'd rather have that," Mr. Dalton says with an eye roll and Jack gives him one back.
"I'm fine with Hugo's, I'm just saying mom needs to expand her palette a bit."
"I'll give her the message," Mr. Dalton says snidely as he strides out of his office, motioning for us to follow him. He leads us to the other side of the office and as we pass the other employees, Jack waves to them, greeting them by name and playfully bouncing a fist on some of the men's shoulders. I forgot that this is going to be Jack's office in a few months. I'll probably know all of these people by name as well.
"Where are you going to sit?" I ask Jack quietly and he points to the cluster of desks I had noticed earlier.
"I'll start over there," he answers and I notice the back of that corner has miniature models of buildings, like a mini-city under glass.
"Are you excited?" He looks over to me and the smile tugging on the side of his lips answers my question. We finally stop next to a massive glass box resting on top of one of the long wooden tables and I point to the intimidating-looking contraption.
"Is this thing easy to use?" I ask and both Jack and his dad quickly nod.
"Jack knows how to play with it. I'll leave you two be and let you know when your mediocre salads arrive." He gives Jack a glance and then heads back to where we came from.
"Tell me what you want and I shall make it for you," Jack says as he boots up the Macbook sitting next to the printer. He opens a design program as I reply, "Diamonds, cotton candy, gnomes, balloons, hearts, an engagement ring-"
"That is an eclectic mix," Jake mutters as he starts doing something inside the design program.
"I got asked to design bridal shower cookies and the rest would just be fun to have."
"This is going to take a few hours. The printer is slow and I have to design the files."
"We can start with one and go from there if you want? I don't know what all you can design either."
"Luke and I printed Hogwarts for Bre's reading room. If we can figure out fucking Hogwarts, I think I can design a heart."
"You and your brother made your sister Hogwarts. That's precious," I say with a wide smile and he eye rolls my sweet tone. "I'll take a castle too."
"I'll make you all of these, but I get to eat the cookies when you make them. I want a badass gnome cookie."
"If you make it, I will bake it," I tell him and I watch as he starts designing a diamond. I slide up a stool next to him and spend the next eight hours designing, printing and laughing.